Desperate plan to get out of paying car loan backfires on teen

Geoff Egan
Journalist
Geoff has been working for the QT since August 2011 covering Ipswich’s rural areas. He started working for APN in January 2010 with the Chinchilla News in western Queensland after growing up on a grain farm. Geoff spends his time out of work watching far too much sport following the Reds, the Broncos and various American teams.

He told them he had followed the thieves to the car location and it had burst into flames when he approached it, burning him.

Carew pleaded guilty at the Ipswich District Court to setting fire to a motor vehicle. The court heard while he had intended to make an insurance claim on the car, he never did.

He has made no repayments towards the outstanding debt, more than $17,000 since burning the car. Judge Sarah Bradley said the way Carew had behaved was immature.

"You were acting in a stupid, immature fashion on the 18th of August last year when you thought it would be a good idea to set fire to the car and make an insurance claim," she said.

"As a result you yourself were injured. That shouldn't have been unforeseen." She said while she was unimpressed with his behaviour since the fire she was convinced he was remorseful and still had a massive debt for the car to repay. Judge Bradley sentenced Carew to two years jail, to be wholly suspended for four years.